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 | Orient-Express Restaurant Car in 1883 |
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Pioneers of Luxury Travel
The history of 'luxury' train travel can be traced back to 1864 when the innovative railway builder, George Mortimer Pullman, created a train in Britain, featuring the ultimate in nineteenth century technology and opulence and was far more advanced than anything that existed in Europe.
In the 1870's the first sleeping carriages and parlour cars in Britain went into service and for the first time meals were served on board a train. The first all Pullman train in Europe, the Pullman Limited Express, began operating in 1881. |
It ran from London to Brighton and was the first train to be illuminated by electricity. Shortly afterwards, by connecting trains to ferries, George Mortimer Pullman made safe and comfortable train travel between London and Paris a reality.
Georges Nagelmackers, a young Belgian railway enthusiast, also began building luxury railway carriages and gradually proceeded to do for continental train travel what Pullman had for Britain. In 1881 after experimenting with several demands, Nagelmackers introduced the first restaurant car aboard a continental train. |
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